Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman is about twins, Bronte and Tennyson.  Things haven't been great in their family since their father's affair and now their mother's retaliation affair.  Things get even worse between the twins when Bronte begins dating Brewster.  Brewster, known as the Bruiser by everyone at school, is a big, menacing boy who has made it a priority to steer clear of everyone else.  He lives with his alcoholic uncle and younger brother in a dilapidated old house, with a giant bull as a pet.  He is the brunt of much bullying at the hands of his schoolmates, but he bears it and shrugs it off.  Once Bronte enters his life, things change.  After his initial resentment, Tennyson gets to know Brew and they all become friends.  That's when things get hard for Brewster.  He has a strange gift... he has the ability to take pain and injury away from those he cares about and transfer the damage to himself.  That's why Brew has always made it a point to never get to know anyone but his family very well.  Once he begins dating Bronte, Brew is thrown into her world of friends, parties, and even her family.  Despite the consequences, he begins caring about many different people and his body suffers greatly.  When he and his brother become foster children and move in with Bronte and Tennyson's family, things get worse for Brew, but much better for the twins.  They learn that Brew's ability extends to emotional injury as well as physical - taking its toll on Brew when he's thrown into the dysfunctional life at the twins' home.

This was an awesome book.  In fact, I've never read one by Neal Shusterman that I haven't loved!  I really liked thinking about the personal consequences of Brew's ability and how I might deal with a friend or family member with such a power.  It's really an ethical dilemma, as the twins discovered in the story.

Listen! by Stephanie S. Tolan

Listen! by Stephanie S. Tolan is based on the true story of the author's experience taming a wild dog.  In the novel, Charley is recovering from a terrible car accident which shattered her leg.  She is also recovering from the loss of her mother.  She died in a plane crash on her way to take pictures as a professional photographer of nature.  Charley and her father are doing their best to deal with these two tragedies, but things are tough for them both.  That is, until Charley sees Coyote for the first time.  He's wild, and he's been hanging around the lake where they live, playing with the local dogs.  No one has been able to get close to Coyote, but Charley makes it her mission to tame him and make him her pet.  Although it takes much longer than she thought, Charley is slowly finding success with Coyote.  Unexpectedly, she's also finding success in working through her mother's death, rehabilitating her broken leg, and reestablishing a relationship with her father.

I loved this book.  At first I didn't want to read it because I was certain the adorable dog on the cover (which happens to look JUST LIKE my own dog) was going to meet some horrible fate.  Thankfully, I needn't have worried!  I especially liked the author's note at the end which told about her own experience with a dog like Coyote, and even showed pictures of them together.  At right is a picture from Stephanie S. Tolan's website of herself and the dog on which this story is based.  I would recommend this book to anyone!

Getting Air by Dan Gutman

Getting Air by Dan Gutman is about 13 year old Jimmy, his younger sister and his two best friends, flying across the country to California to see the X Games.  The boys, who created their own skateboarding club, the Woodpushers, are convinced they'll get sponsored if they attend the event.  Unfortunately, some extremist terrorists had other plans.  Jimmy, his friends, an old lady on her way to a knitting convention, and one young flight attendant are all that survived after their fight to regain control of the plane after the terrorists disabled it.  This group of very different people must stick together and survive in the Canadian wilderness!  Thankfully, Jimmy's sister Julia knows a lot about survival from her experiences in Girl Scouts.  They are able to build a shelter using part of the plane, they find food, start a fire, and are surviving reasonably well.  This takes its toll on the group however, and there is noticeable tension... until Jimmy decides to build a 1/2 pipe out of the airplane!

This was an action-packed, exciting quick read!  This book has everything!!  I really liked how Julia, the younger sister, ended up being as much of a hero as the boys who stopped the terrorists because of her knowledge of wilderness survival.  I also liked the way the group of very different people all came together in order to ensure the survival of everyone.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George is based on a folktale from Norway.  It tells the story of woodcutter, Jarl Oskarson's youngest daughter.  When she was born her mother was very unhappy about having another girl and refused to give her a name.  Thus, she was known only as 'pika', meaning 'girl'.  Being youngest, most of her siblings had moved out and on to lead their own lives.  Her older brother, Hans Peter, however, came back after years aboard a merchant ship, injured and broken.  He and Pika became very close.  Hans Peter was dismayed when a giant polar bear came seeking Pika, asking her to live with him in an ice castle in the north for one year, in exchange for wealth and riches for her family.  Pika agrees, at the encouragement of her greedy mother.  Pika could never have realized that Hans Peter knew much more about this situation than her let on.  During her year stay with the polar bear, many strange things happened to Pika, including a nightly visit from a strange man who wouldn't speak to her.  When her curiosity got the best of her, Pika lit a candle to get a good look at her visitor.  Unknowingly, this act ruined the deal the man had made with the evil Troll Princess.  Now, despite Pika and the stranger having fallen in love over the course of their time together, he was forced to marry the troll!  So, Pika calls upon all of her strength to travel into the trolls' realm and challenge the princess, risking her life and limb to save her true love.

When I read this book, I couldn't help but feel as though I already knew the story.  About half way through, I realized it was the folktale I was familiar with, not this particular version of it!  I really liked this book.  It was a great fantasy adventure.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books by Shannon Hale.

On the Volcano by James Nelson

On the Volcano by James Nelson takes place in 1855 in the Great Territories.  Sixteen year old Katie and her father have lived an isolated life on the side of a volcano her whole life.  She has only seen one or two people other than her father.  One of those people is traveling nurse, Lorraine.  She comes to stay with the MacDonalds periodically.  On one such occasion, Katie asks her father if she can accompany him on his trip to Badwater for supplies.  He is resistant, knowing Badwater is a dangerous, nearly lawless place, and doesn't want to expose Katie to this.  The girls convince him, though, and they make the three day ride into town, careful to remain invisible so that no one knows about their volcano home.  Unfortunately, Katie's disguise as "George" fails and she winds up getting in trouble with a boy named Jess.  They quickly retreat back to the volcano, but not before arousing suspicion with some of the people in town... including the new sheriff and deputy, Adam (who Katie develops an instant crush on!).  Soon after returning home, Jess shows up intent on finding the gold Katie's dad often exchanges for paper money on his trips to town.  He finds Katie alone and tries to attack her.  Katie's father sees this and kills Jess.  Not knowing what to do, they hide his body in a deep crevice on the side of the volcano.  When Jess doesn't return to town, it causes quite a stir, prompting the sheriff and eventually Jess's father to come searching for him.  Will the MacDonalds ever find peace on their volcano?

This was a great adventure!  I could imagine myself living in a cabin isolated from the rest of the world.  I liked seeing the town of Badwater through Katie's innocent eyes.    I also liked the way the author showed the extreme differences between Katie's father and Jess's father - both of whom loved their children very much.

Football Genius by Tim Green

Football Genius by Tim Green is about twelve year old Troy, who wants nothing more than to share his gift of analyzing and predicting football plays with the Atlanta Falcons.  Unfortunately, the only people who seem to appreciate Troy's gift are his best friends, Tate and Nathan.  They would do just about anything for Troy, including help him break into star linebacker, Seth Halloway's yard to steal a football.  Troy's mother recently received a job with the Falcons and Troy is certain this will be his chance to prove himself to the team.  However, Troy's tenacity just keeps getting him into deeper and deeper trouble.  Eventually, he wins over Seth Halloway, but getting the crotchety defensive Coach Krock, who is purposely calling bad plays so he can take over the head coach position, won't give Troy a chance.  Will Troy and Seth manage to take control and lead the Falcons to a winning season?

I have to admit, I usually do not like sports books.  This one, however, was awesome!  This story was about achieving your dreams and the importance of honesty and integrity (with a little football thrown in... okay, a lot of football thrown in!).

The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz is the story of nine different generations of the same family.  Each person's story is organized in three chapters, so it's almost like a book of short stories.  All of the nine are tied together somehow by baseball.  The first inning begins in 1845 with a young immigrant from German, working to earn enough money to bring the rest of his family to America.  The ninth inning takes place in 2002, and features a boy who is working to learn what he can about each item in a box of old baseball artifacts, not knowing that each item had, at one point in history, belonged to each of the previous generations in his family.

This was a really cool book.  I'm not a big baseball fan, but that didn't matter at all.  Each of the nine stories was independent of the others, yet all were tied together in some way.  I loved the organization of the book and the author's note at the end explaining the true historical moments on which each of the nine stories was based.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver is about Liesl, a little girl that lives a tough life.  After her father dies, Liesl's step-mother locks her in the attic.  She's been there for over a year!  But, one evening a strange little ghost named Po appears and they become instant friends.  This book is also about Will, an alchemist's apprentice who has secretly admired Liesl through her attic window for as long as she's been imprisoned there.  Will makes a terrible mistake one evening, unknowingly exchanging the box of powerful magic he was supposed to be delivering with a box full of Liesl's father's ashes.  Thus begins an adventure for Liesl, Po and Will that changes everything for them all!

This was an AWESOME story!  There were many different side stories that all came together by the end.  This is not your typical fairy tale/fantasy novel!  All in all, a fantastic middle grade novel.

A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie by Matt Blackstone

A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie by Matt Blackstone is about Rene, a fourteen year old boy with OCD.  Rene is convinced bad things happen as a result of him washing his body parts in the wrong order, stepping on cracks, picking up coins that are face down, and even moving when the numerals in the time of day add to 13.  These quirks practically rule Rene's life, until he meets Giovanni.  Gio, as his friends call him, is new and he breaks all the rules Rene has lived by his whole life.  One afternoon, the worst thing happens... Rene's emotionally abusive and controlling father Phil, who left when Rene was six, returns!  Desperate for help with this situation, Rene invites Gio for dinner.  The dinner is a disaster, and in the end Rene and Gio run away to New York for several life-changing days!

This was an awesome story.  I sometimes have a hard time reading about kids who are bullied because of their differences.  This book was inspiring because of the friendship Giovanni and Rene shared and Gio's acceptance of Rene's quirks.  I would recommend it to more mature readers who enjoy funny, yet powerful stories.

The Vision by Jen NadolThe Vision by Jen Nadol

The Vision by Jen Nadol is the sequel to The Mark.  In this book, Cassie has moved to Chicago and is living with her friend, Petra. Although she's made some friends, Cassie's real purpose in leaving everyone in Pennsylvania behind after her grandmother dies is to find out more about her special ability.  Cassie can see "the mark" on a person who is going to die with in 24 hours.  Believing there must be more like her, Cassie asks Petra, who works in a mental hospital, to identify anyone who fits the description of her mother.  That's how Cassie meets Demetria.  Despite the fact that Demetria doesn't talk to Cassie, she is convinced that they share the same power and Cassie visits her often.  At school, Cassie begins dating a bad boy, Zander, who knows more about Cassie than she even knows about herself.  At work (in a funeral home), Cassie tries to learn as much about death and different religious customs as possible, thinking there may be a link between that and her ability.  Cassie's real struggle is knowing whether or not to save one person who is marked for death, risking the life of another.

This was a really interesting book.  I haven't read the first one, The Mark, but I was able to understand the story just fine.  I may go back and read The Mark so I can learn the back story, though.  I like the inner struggle Cassie faces as she tries to determine how to decide who is worth saving.  I also like the references to Greek mythology and various religious belief.

Split by Swati Avasthi

Split by Swati Avasthi begins when Jace finally escapes his abusive father and ends up half way across the country, knocking on his brother's apartment door.  Christian had escaped the abuse six years earlier and is shocked to see Jace.  Both are still terrified and angry at their father, but deal with it in different ways.  And, Jace has a secret he's trying to cope with which links him to his father more than he's ready to accept.  This story is about Jace and Christian coming to terms with what happened to them and their own, separate decisions to get out.  It's also about both brothers starting new lives on their own and finding ways to deal with their pasts.

This was a very powerful story.  I really liked the way the author described how difficult it was for their mother to leave and the things the boys did to try to convince her.  I also liked the way Christian became a mentor to Jace, teaching him a new way to deal with his anger and frustration - running.  Even though this story was about something terrible, the ending was positive and happy.